January 05, 2013 12:04 AM CSTJanuary 05, 2013 10:18 AM CSTRangers have offer on the table to free-agent hitter Lance Berkman, but is he worth two years?

Rangers have offer on the table to free-agent hitter Lance Berkman, but is he worth two years?

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Chris Lee/MCT

The St. Louis Cardinals' Lance Berkman acknowledges a standing ovation as he makes a pinch-hit appearance in seventh-inning action of the final regular season game, a 1-0 win against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on Wednesday, October 3, 2012.

The Rangers have an offer on the table to free-agent hitter Lance Berkman but must make a two-year investment to add him to the middle of the lineup.

Rangers president and chief executive officer Nolan Ryan told KVIA-TV (Ch. 26) in Houston that the club has made a proposal to Berkman. The length of the offer could not be determined, but two industry officials said Berkman wants a two-year deal.

“Yes, we’re in the market for a DH. And we’ve talked to Lance,” Ryan told SportsDay on Friday. “We feel like he’d be a good fit and a good [DH].”

Berkman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday that two clubs have extended offers. Baltimore, Tampa Bay, the New York Yankees and Houston have also expressed interest, but St. Louis has indicated Berkman does not fit into its plans.

Berkman tacitly acknowledged to the newspaper that he wants a multiyear deal to forestall retirement. He said the Rangers must “in a way … buy me out of retirement. … If the carrot’s not big enough, the mule isn’t going to want to go.”

Berkman, who turns 37 on Feb. 10, was limited to 32 games with St. Louis last season because of two surgeries to remove damaged meniscus cartilage from the right knee. Berkman has indicated the knee is sound.

The Rangers envision Berkman, who ranks fourth all-time among switch-hitters with 360 homers, as the primary designated hitter.

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